Avenue of the Ram headed sphinxes. This originally flanked
a canal that lead to the Nile. The gods were taken by boat to the Luxor temple.

Osiride pillars withinthe Temple of Ramses III(1184-1153BCE).

Statues of Ramses II(1279-1213BCE)in front of second pylon (to right).

Behind the second pylon is the Great Hypostyle Hall with its papyrus bud columns
like a forest. Behind the third pylon is the court of Amenophis II and the
obelisks of Thutmosis I. Then the fourth pylon and the obelisks of Hatshepsut.
Temples and more pylons (five and six continue back into the enclosure,
seven, eight and nine head south towards the sanctuary of Mut).
The sanctauries and temples behind the fifth and sixth pylons are much older
and have a more human scale. Behind it all is The Great Festival Hall of Tuthmosis III
which reverses the flow of time.

Great Hypostyle Hall built by Seti I (1294-1279BCE)
The 134 pillars cover an area of 6000 square metres.
Many bear the cartouche of Ramses II who had the cartouches of earlier pharaohs
erased and his put in their place.

The obelisk in the foreground is Thutmosis I's.
That in the background his daughter Hatshepsut. The obelisk of Hatshepsut at 30m
is the tallest found in Egypt. This one is in particualrly good condition
because it was bricked in after Hatshepsut's death. This protected it from floods and sand storms.

1: This entrance was an addition by Ramses II (who the group
thought of as history's first tagger). The statues are of Ramses II. The angle
of the pylons is such that the "ordinary people" would never see Amenhotep's
part of the temple.
2: Idealised head of Ramses II. (His mummy suggests this is not a good likeness.
He was neither good looking nor tall. Perhaps this explained his mania for
being every where).

3: The court of Amenhotep III. These pillars were better quality stone
than those used by Ramses II.
4: Additions by Ramses II

To the left is a woman on a birthing chair. To the right
a collection of surgical instruments.

Haroeris and Sobek. Both the falcon headed god and the crocodile
headed god were fighters of evil. Further, the floods would follow the appearance of
the crocodiles so it was logical that the crocodile brought the life giving floods.

Crocodile Sarcophagi.
Deciding not to leave things to chance, crocodiles were kept in the
temple, honoured, and hopefully brought the inundation. When they died they
were mumified and buried.